Army: Soldier secretly taped female cadets

The Army is investigating a soldier who helped train cadets at West Point amid allegations that he made secret videos of female cadets, the latest in a rash of cases that have brought heavy political pressure on the Pentagon to crack down on sexually oriented offenses in the ranks.

The Army said Sgt. 1st Class Michael McClendon, a 23-year veteran who did two tours in Iraq, was charged with indecency, dereliction of duties, cruelty and maltreatment for being in “possession of inappropriate images taken without consent.”

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“The Army is committed to ensuring the safety and welfare of our cadets at the Military Academy at West Point — as well as all soldiers throughout our Army,” Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John Campbell said in a statement. “Once notified of the violation, a full investigation was launched followed by swift action to correct the problem. Our cadets must be confident that issues such as these are handled quickly and decisively, and that our system will hold those responsible accountable.”

The Army has since relocated McClendon from West Point to Fort Drum, N.Y., while the investigation is conducted. His case was first reported Wednesday by The New York Times.

The Army’s Criminal Investigation Command is also “contacting individuals who may have information relevant to the allegations in this case, as well as notifying everyone involved,” officials said. “Throughout this notification process, the Army will protect the privacy of the individuals involved as well as offer support services as required.”

Officials said McClendon was first sergeant for a company of 121 cadets, one of the enlisted troops who helped with the training of the candidates who graduate from West Point as second lieutenants. News broke about his case just one day after the Army announced it had suspended the commander of its largest basic training center for enlisted soldiers, amid allegations of adultery and “a physical altercation.”

After high-profile condemnations from President Barack Obama and many members of Congress, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has put the sexual assault problem at the top of his list and is holding weekly meetings on how to fix it. Hagel was expected to announce Wednesday that he would exempt about 500 DoD civilian sexual assault prevention workers from the furloughs mandated for virtually all its other civilian workforce under sequestration.

A recent survey found that sexual assaults in the military were up from an estimated 19,000 in 2010 to 26,000 last year. The number of cases being reported is also up, which commanders say is a positive sign that more victims are willing to come forward without fear of retribution. But military leaders and lawmakers say that’s not enough.

South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson, a top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, told POLITICO on Wednesday the West Point case is “outrageous and ridiculous.”

Wilson and other members of Congress are proposing a flurry of legislative fixes in the mark of this year’s defense bill to help combat the growing problem, including changes to the military justice system and increased penalties for offenders.

Elsewhere Wednesday, Army Secretary John McHugh told a Senate Appropriations Committee panel that he wants tougher standards to screen service members serving as sexual assault prevention officers, or who work with victims. McHugh, said he’s concerned that reviews of candidates for what he sees as “critically important positions” may not go deep enough. Troops often get assignments in sexual assault prevention or as victims’ advocates as a “collateral duty,” a task second to their primary jobs.

Referencing the recent string of allegations of sexual assault, McHugh said he plans to sign a directive that will include behavioral health records in the review of service members who might serve as sexual assault and prevention coordinators.